


She Had It Coming

by swinggal138



Series: Sherlock and Melody [2]
Category: Sherlock (TV)
Genre: Cheating, F/M, Gen, Moriarty is Alive, Revenge
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-19
Updated: 2015-04-19
Packaged: 2018-03-24 20:07:33
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 25
Words: 13,049
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3782662
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/swinggal138/pseuds/swinggal138
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Jessie's bakery begins to fail, an investor steps in to help but ends up driving a wedge between her and John. Meanwhile, Sherlock and Melody are working on a series of murders but will Melody's own work become a priority and destroy their relationship?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Good Morning

John slowly opened his eyes, smiling as he looked at his girlfriend, Jessie, still asleep on his chest. The sun was just beginning to peek through the curtains and their alarm was only minutes from going off. Not wanting to wake her early, John just ran his fingers through her hair, going over his plan for the evening in his head. Moments later, the alarm rang and Jessie slowly opened her eyes,  
                “Morning,” she said sleepily to John, leaning up to kiss him soundly.  
                After several minutes, they broke the kiss and slowly crawled out of bed. Jessie headed to the shower while John went into the kitchen to start the coffee. Thirty minutes later, the couple was heading out the door towards the tube. Jessie, the owner of a small bakery, had to be at her shop early to get things ready before she opened. John, a doctor at a small practice, usually went into the office at the same time. This morning, however, things were different. Once Jessie got off at her stop, John rode a few more past it and got off, heading to a grocery store to buy a few things. Today was a big day and John had taken a sick day just to prepare; everything had to be perfect.

. . .

Sherlock slowly opened his eyes and looked down at the girl asleep on his chest: his girlfriend, Melody. Despite his aversion to sentiment, he had to admit he found her presence in his bed quite comforting. He and Melody had been together for several months now and Sherlock was still getting used to the concept. Not that a lot had changed from them being flatmates. They still worked at the hospital together and were both consumed with their various projects. Occasionally, Sherlock needed her help on a case and she asked for a bit of assistance with her research. There were a few differences though. Sherlock would actually eat the food Melody cooked. They went to dinner on a regular basis. And, when Melody managed to convince him to actually sleep, they shared a bed, as they were doing now.  
                There was also more physical affection between them. Sherlock was not one prone to such things but he found that with Melody, he enjoyed it. However, they hadn’t slept together yet and Melody never pushed him. As if summoned by his thoughts of her, Melody opened her eyes and raised her head a bit to look at her boyfriend.  
                “Morning,” she mumbled sleepily.  
                “Morning,” he replied.  
                Sherlock then lowered his mouth to hers, capturing her lips with his and kissing her good morning. He continued moving his lips over hers, his hands running up and down her body as hers tangled in his hair. After several moments of making out, Sherlock finally released her lips and the two of them rolled out of bed. Sherlock wrapped the sheet around his unclothed body while Melody grabbed his dressing gown off a hook. She slept in her pajamas, honestly to avoid the temptation of wanting to do things with Sherlock that he wasn’t ready for, but it was cold in the flat this morning and the gown would keep her warm. They wandered to the kitchen where Melody started some coffee while Sherlock went to light a fire. Returning to the kitchen, Sherlock looked at Melody.  
                “Do you work today?”  
                “No, I have a day off for once.”  
                Sherlock nodded, staying silent for a moment. Finally, he said,  
                “I could use your help with one of my experiments. If you want to.”  
                Melody’s mouth formed into a small smile. Although she helped with cases, Sherlock was still very protective of his personal experiments and wouldn’t let anyone near them. So she knew this was a big deal.  
                “I would love to.”  
                Sherlock nodded again, heading off to the shower. Pausing, he came back and gave her one more sound kiss before going into the bathroom and closing the door behind him. Melody’s smile grew even bigger as she turned on the stove to start something for breakfast.


	2. A Proposal

Jessie was tired when she arrived home that evening. The bakery had been crazy and all she wanted to do was change into sweats and curl up on the couch with John. However, those plans quickly changed when she opened the front door to find John standing there, waiting, wearing a grey suit and holding a rose.  
                “What’s this for?” she asked with a smile, accepting the rose from him.  
                “All for you…to show you how special you are.”  
                John leaned forward and kissed her, his hands wrapping around her waist as hers slid up the nice fabric of his suit.  
                “So,” he began, “you should go into the bathroom as I have prepared a surprise for you in there. Then, when you are done in there, head into the bedroom because I have something waiting for you in there as well. And while you do that, I will continue making dinner.”  
                Jessie gave him a look that said she knew he was plotting something but she conceded with a smile and went into the bathroom. There, in the massive tub, John had prepared a hot bubble bath, complete with rose petals and champagne. Beginning to get an inkling of what was going on, she smiled and slowly undressed, lowering herself into the steaming tub. She sipped the champagne and just enjoyed the peace and quiet.  
                Once the water had gone cold, Jessie stepped out of the tub and wrapped her robe around her. She wandered into the bedroom. Breathlessly, she walked over to the bed, unable to form words as she stared at the midnight blue gown laying on the bed. She had told John about it awhile ago; it was a Vivienne Westwood original. She couldn’t believe it was sitting here now. Lightly, she ran her fingers over the fabric before lifting it up and putting it on. She then took some extra time to put her hair up and wandered into the kitchen to join her wonderful boyfriend.  
                The kitchen was filled with wonderful scents as John stood over the stove, cooking something in a pan. Jessie walked over to him, wrapping her arms around his middle and kissing his neck.  
                “This dress is wonderful John. But this must have cost you a fortune. How did you get it?”  
                “I have my ways,” he said with a smile, turning to her and kissing her soundly before returning to his task at hand.  
                “This smells delicious. What is it?”  
                “Chicken Marsala. And it is almost done. So have a seat at the table and I will bring it over.”  
                Jessie went over to the lavishly set table as John prepared two plates and brought them over. After setting them down, he reached for the bottle of wine. Jessie recognized it as a very expensive bottle of Pinot Noir and realized that John had pulled out all the stops for this night. She had a feeling she knew what was going on and her stomach filled with butterflies as her and John ate the delicious dinner he had prepared.  
                Afterwards, John cleared all the dishes, leaving them in the sink to soak, claiming he would clean them later because he had more important things to do now. Dimming the lights, John walked over to a a set of speakers, fiddling with the I-Pod attached to them. Soon, the sound of Michael Buble singing “Can’t Take My Eyes Off Of You” began filling the room as John extended his hand to Jessie. She accepted it and John pulled her close, his arm wrapping around her waist as hers went to his shoulder. John pulled her even closer and began singing the song softly to her, pausing to finally say to her,  
                “Jessie, I picked this song for tonight because it was the only thing stuck in my head the day I met you. You have made my life wonderful in ways I can’t even begin to describe. You accept my past, support my future, take care of me, make me smile every day, and even put up with my crazy best friend. You are the best thing in my life and I can’t imagine living one day without you.”  
                The song was drawing to a close and John suddenly removed his hand from her waist as he got down on one knee. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a small jewelry box and opened it to display a vintage engagement ring, sparkling up at Jessie as she began to tear up,  
                “Jessie, would you please do me the honor of becoming my wife?”  
                Jessie nodded as she extended her hand and John slipped the ring on her finger; it was a perfect fit. Jessie then helped John to his feet and brought his lips to hers, kissing him with all the love she couldn’t express with words. They kissed until breathless and soon another song began playing; Stardust. John wrapped his arm around his now fiancé and began swaying her to the music. They danced several more songs, exchanging kisses the whole time.  
                After the dancing, John led Jessie over to the fire he had prepared; the proposal was only the first part of the evening. He grabbed another bottle of champagne and a bowl of strawberries and joined Jessie on the floor next to the fire. They spent the next hour sipping the bubbly liquid and feeding each other the sweet fruit. Once both were gone, Jessie had other ideas of how to occupy their time. Leaning over, she kissed him deeply, running her hand up his neck and into his hair. John sighed into her mouth and ran his hand up her thigh, past her hip, to a sensitive spot on her spine. Moaning, Jessie helped them both stand and started directing him to the bedroom. Collapsing on the bed, Jessie began unbuttoning his shirt as he kissed down her neck. Once she had removed the shirt and his trousers, John made sure she was equally unclothed by slipping her dress over her head and returning his mouth to her skin, kissing down her neck, across her cleavage, and lower. Jessie was breathing heavily as she managed to remove their remaining garments and the two spent the remainder of the evening making love as a newly engaged couple.


	3. Morning Distraction

A few weeks later, Sherlock and Melody had just woken up in their flat. Melody was cleaning up the last of the breakfast dishes when she felt Sherlock’s long fingers wrap around her waist as he pressed a kiss to her neck. Confused at his sudden display of affection, she continued putting dishes away when she felt one of his hands slide up to her chest as he proceeded to kiss a line up her neck. Turning to him, she said,  
                “You know, that is quite distracting.”  
                “Yes. You distract me from my tasks and it seems logical I would occasionally return the favor.”  
                “You’re bored, aren’t you? No experiments?”  
                “Perhaps,” Sherlock replied casually, not removing his lips from her neck.  
                Sighing and smiling, Melody turned to her boyfriend, sliding her hands up his chest as she leaned up to capture his lips. Her hand tangled in his hair as he moved them towards his wide, leather, arm chair. Plopping down onto it, Sherlock dragged her into his lap, her straddling him as his hands stroked up and down her back while his tongue pressed past her lips and longingly explored her mouth.  As his mouth was finally releasing hers to trail back to her neck, Melody’s mobile rang. She looked apologetically down at Sherlock as she grabbed her phone from her pocket to answer it,  
                “Hello?” she asked, pausing to listen to the person on the other end; Sherlock continued to kiss her neck distractingly.  
                Melody was silent for a few moments before exclaiming,  
                “That is excellent news! I will be there in fifteen minutes.”  
                She hung up the phone and got off the chair. Without a word, she ran upstairs to change and emerged moments later in her work clothes, running a brush through her hair as she slipped on her shoes. Sherlock looked at her for explanation.  
                “Sorry! That was the hospital. My anti-biotic passed the first round of tests! I get to move onto the next phase!”  
                She grabbed her purse and walked over to her boyfriend. Leaning down, she gave him the most passionate kiss she could muster, her hand gripping his hair, before running out the door, calling over her shoulder,  
                “Call John! Maybe he needs help with wedding plans or something!”


	4. An Off Day

John looked towards the door as Jessie arrived home from work. Leaving the dinner he was working on, he rushed over to greet her.  
                “Hello beautiful,” he said, kissing her soundly before walking back to the kitchen.  
                Stirring a pot of stew, he started talking to her as she removed her coat,  
                “So, I asked Sherlock to be my best man today. Took me about twenty bloody minutes to explain why I was asking him but…”  
                John’s speech tapered off as he glanced over at his fiancé. She was slowly taking off her work stuff, quietly and with a puzzled look on her face.  
                “Are you alright?” he asked her, concern in his voice.  
                As if coming out of a daze, Jessie shook her head, then replied,  
                “What? Oh yeah…yeah. Sorry. It’s just…the bakery was really slow today and it should be our busy season.”  
                “Hmm…well, I wouldn’t worry about it just yet. Could just be an off today. I mean, the weather was fairly nasty today.”  
                “You’re right,” Jessie sighed, determined to drive the worry from her head.  
                She finally went to the bedroom and changed into some sweatpants, returning to the kitchen shortly to wrap her arms around John’s waist. He kissed the top of her head and continued making the stew. The rest of their evening was spent eating the delicious dinner and cuddling on the couch while watching telly. Eventually, they were both tired and decided to go to bed where John proceeded to make love to his beautiful fiancé, knowing he would never be able to get enough of this beautiful woman.


	5. The First Murder

A few weeks later, Sherlock and Melody were in their flat, curled up on the couch reading. Melody was looking into various applications of her new anti-biotic while Sherlock was reading a book on skull fractures. Both of them were startled out of their reveries when Sherlock’s phone rang loudly beside them.  
                “Hello?” Sherlock answered, listening for a moment, “I’ll be right there.”  
                He hung up the phone and stood abruptly, all but dumping his girlfriend on the floor.  
                “Change,” he commanded, walking towards the bedroom.  
                Melody followed obediently, wondering where exactly they were going.  
                “Sherlock, what’s going on?”  
                “There’s been a murder. Regents Park. A woman was found drowned in her shower.”  
                “I take it I’m coming with you then.”  
                Sherlock just gave her a look as he wrapped his scarf around his neck. Not questioning further, Melody followed him out the door and into a waiting cab. They arrived at the lavish building, making their way to the flat on the 5th floor. Detective Inspector Lestrade greeted them warmly, leading them past the yellow tape and into the crime scene.  
                “Poor maid went to clean the bathroom, found her dead and naked in the tub. Estimate she’s been dead about three or four days. Suspected murder.”  
                “Suspected?” Sherlock sneered, “I think it’s rather obvious it was murder.”  
                “Do explain,” Lestrade replied, resignedly.  
                “Water droplets dried on the wall, sign of a struggle. Bruises on her wrists probably from hitting them on the side of the tub as she fought to come up for air while someone held her under the water.”  
                “Hang on. The tub wasn’t filled when we came in…who says someone was holding her under the water?”  
                “Ring around the tub left from water being in there a few days. Most likely the maid drained it when she discovered the body. In fact, this woman wasn’t even taking a shower when the murder occurred. The clothes scattered everywhere indicate the murderer undressed her and dragged her in here.”  
                “She could just be messy.”  
                “Ugh…just look around you. Everything in here is in perfect order, nothing out of place. It is highly unlikely that a woman who keeps everything else organized would haphazardly toss her expensive clothes about the room when she was going to take a shower. No, the murderer removed her clothes then dragged her in here to a filled tub where she was drowned. Dragged her by the wrists from the looks of it.”  
                Sherlock then suddenly stopped his speech, staring intently at the mirror.  
                “Melody, start the shower on the hottest water temperature. Everyone else out and close the door.”  
                Lestrade raised his eyebrow but didn’t question the orders, directing everyone out of the room. Melody and Sherlock remained in the room which was slowly filling with steam. Soon, a message appeared on the mirror.  
                “She had it coming,” Melody read.  
                Sherlock just examined the mirror, taking some extra time to examine the crime scene before he and Melody turned off the water and promptly left the room. Lestrade was waiting outside.  
                “I’ll want to examine the body further at Bart’s but I think I have all I need for right now.”  
                He nodded at Melody and the two of them walked out the door and hailed a cab. Melody knew they were heading back to Baker Street for further research. It was clear Sherlock had an idea in his head and Melody was eager to find out what it was.


	6. Putting Off The Wedding

A week later, Jessie returned home from work, looking completely defeated. John, who had been typing at something on his computer, looked at her with concern as she flopped on the couch.  
                “What’s the matter, beautiful?” he asked, coming to sit next to her and rubbing her back.  
                “My bakery still hasn’t picked up. In fact, it has been slower than ever.”  
                Jessie sat up, still looking distraught.  
                “What am I going to do?” she asked John, tears in her eyes, “I have bills to pay and money isn’t coming in.”  
                John pulled her close and held her to his chest, his hand rubbing her back as he kissed the top of her head.  
                “I am sure things will pick up soon. In the meantime, how about you take some of the money out of the wedding fund? We haven’t set a date yet and we could put it off a bit longer.”  
                “Are you sure?” Jessie replied, looking up at him.  
                “Of course. Love, I would marry you tomorrow if I could. But, I know the bakery is very important to you and we have the rest of our lives together. Putting off the wedding a bit longer won’t change that.”  
                “Thank you,” she said, drying her eyes, “I love you so much John Watson.”  
                “Really?” he said with a mischievous smile, “Then prove it.”  
                She smiled at him, bringing her lips up to his as she slowly pushed him down on the couch, her mouth capturing his as they kissed each other breathless for hours before finally getting up to find something for dinner.


	7. Boredom Sets In

  Over the next week, Sherlock’s boredom continued to increase. The one murder seemed an anomaly and no case presented itself. Normally, Sherlock would pass his time doing experiments and spending a lot of time with Melody, usually making out honestly; when Sherlock got kissy, Melody knew he needed something to do. However, Melody wasn’t around much since her anti-biotic had passed the first trials. Instead, she spent most of her time down at the hospital, working in her lab. Eventually, Sherlock’s boredom got the best of him and he made his way from the morgue to his girlfriend’s lab. He found her hard at work, hunched over some notes. He cleared his throat, causing Melody to look up.  
                “Oh…hi. Sorry. I think I’m going to be here late again.”  
                “I know. I came to help you.”      
                “To help me?”  
                “Yes. I’m bored and you are clearly swamped here. I can help.”  
                Melody was flattered. When it came to work like this, Sherlock preferred to be in control. He usually didn’t relinquish control of an experiment to anyone. Smiling, Melody pointed out some data she needed organized and Sherlock set to work. For the remainder of the evening, Sherlock and Melody worked, sending occasional smiles at each other. This pattern continued over the next several weeks with Sherlock oddly contented to help his girlfriend in her work.


	8. The Second Murder

Sherlock and Melody were just leaving the hospital after another evening working in the lab when Sherlock’s mobile went off.  
                “Hello,” he answered, pausing to listen a moment, “We’ll be right there.”  
                “Another murder?” Melody inquired, looking at the small light of excitement that ignited behind Sherlock’s eyes.  
                “Another body was found, yes. Appears to be a suicide but they want us to look at it to make sure.”  
                They hailed a cab and were soon arriving at a residence where outside swarmed several police cars. Ducking under a yellow police line, Sherlock and Melody made their way inside, following Lestrade to the kitchen. There, kneeling in front of the oven, was a woman. Her head was resting on the top rack, her face pale and lifeless. Sherlock immediately began examining the scene. He was about to speak when Melody cut him off.  
                “It’s murder, like the other one.”  
                “How do you know?” Lestrade asked incredulously.  
                “Just look at her fingernails, nail polish chipped, the nails themselves cracked, the scratches on the paint around the oven. She was forced in there. And look at her wrists, marks from where they were bound behind her. Bruises on her arm where the murderer held her as she struggled to breathe. And if that wasn’t enough, there is the message written over here in the flour, or did you miss that fact?”  
                Lestrade walked over to the counter where, written very small in the flour were the words “She had it coming.” Stepping back, the Detective Inspector sighed, signaling to someone from the forensics team to come examine the counter. Sherlock looked with admiration at his girlfriend. While he was about to say the exact same thing she had, he was proud she had beaten him too it. And honestly, she suddenly became even more attractive.  
                Telling Lestrade they would be in touch, Sherlock and Melody took their final evidence from the crime scene and headed back to Baker Street. They had a lot of thinking to do with the addition of the second murder and Melody was more than happy to help her boyfriend with the research.


	9. Sherlock Finds Melody Irresistible

Sherlock and Melody entered the flat, taking off their coats and hanging up their scarves. Melody went immediately to the books to begin researching but Sherlock suddenly stopped her, seizing her mouth in a bruising kiss. It was more passion than he had ever exhibited before and it took her a minute to react. But soon she was sighing into the kiss, her hands reaching up to grab his hair as he backed her into the wall. Melody had no idea what brought about this reaction in him, but after months of being patient with him and hoping he would open up, she wasn’t about to question it. Or stop it.  
                Sherlock finally backed them away from the wall, kissing her into the bedroom. The moment they got there, his hands were at her shirt and he ripped it open, sending buttons flying into the walls. Melody moaned as his mouth latched onto her neck, sucking a dark, possessive mark into it before continuing down to her chest, his tongue running over her sensitive skin as he began undoing her bra. Not to be outdone, Melody reached up and ripped his shirt open as well, having mercy on the buttons that were barely hanging on anyway. Backing towards the bed, Sherlock pushed her lightly down on the mattress, following her down as his mouth sucked and nibbled on her chest, earning him satisfying moans from his girlfriend. As Sherlock adjusted them on the bed, Melody could feel his great arousal, pressing against her thigh and she slipped her hand down to his pants, grabbing him through the fabric. Sherlock’s head dropped to her shoulder as she began stroking him, eventually undoing his trousers and removing them along with his pants.  
                Sherlock returned his mouth to Melody’s, tongues dueling and tangling as he slid her dress trousers off her. While he was not experienced in sex, he knew precisely what parts of her to touch and the use of his fingers between her thighs soon had her begging and panting for more. Eager to give it to her, he slid her pants off and immediately positioned himself between her legs. With one movement, he entered her hard, taking a moment to allow her to adjust to his size.  Melody encouraged him to move and he soon set a fast and rough pace, bringing them both to completion in mere moments; this had definitely been a long time coming.  
                Sherlock rolled off her, breathing hard as Melody tried to calm her heart rate as well. When they were both finally in control, Melody looked at Sherlock.  
                “Not that I am complaining in the least, but, what was that for? I mean, you and I haven’t exactly done that before.”  
                “I know. And I thank you for your patience with me. Before, sex had never been something I understood as necessary, not that I haven’t enjoyed kissing you but lust had never been something I had really experienced. But, when you made your deductions of the crime scene today, a switch in me flipped. Our relationship has always been one of the mind but there is no reason why it can’t be more physical as well. The two are not necessarily separate.”  
                “I guess that makes sense. So, let’s go back to my deductions of the crime scene. Does it turn you on when I deduce things like how the killer got her in the kitchen?”  
                Sherlock’s eyes lit up with lust as she continued to expound upon what she had observed at the house. And it wasn’t long until he was cutting off her deductions with more passionate kisses and they both geared up for round two.


	10. An Investor Appears

Two weeks later, Jessie stood at the counter of her bakery, pouring over the wedding budget. Despite her best efforts, the bakery still seemed to be floundering and she needed to pull more money from the wedding, if she could. As she was debating if they really needed that many flowers, the bell above the door dinged and Jessie looked up hopefully. Standing in the door, looking over the shop as if studying it, was a distinguished looking man, his short brown hair perfectly styled and every aspect of his suit crisp and pressed. He finally looked at Jessie, smiling at her with a look that was almost predatory, but the expression soon changed and his face seemed to soften a bit.  
                “Hi,” he said, approaching the counter, “do you know where I might find the owner of this establishment?”  
                “That would be me, Jessie Carlyle.”  
                “Jessie…beautiful name,” he purred at her, “I’m James, James Martin. I’m actually an investor and, I must admit, your shop intrigues me.”  
                “My shop?”  
                “Yes. It seems business is a bit slow though, at least judging from this empty room, and I think I could help with that.”  
                Jessie looked at him skeptically.  
                “How?”  
                “Oh, just lend a few pennies here and there. Invest in some marketing perhaps. Anyway, here’s my card. Give me a call sometime. I’d love to talk details.”  
                He took one last look around the shop on his way out.  
                “Bye,” he called over his shoulder, with a little wave, as the door swung closed behind him.  
                Later that night, Jessie was talking everything over with John, wondering if she should give the mysterious investor a call.  
                “I’m not so sure,” John told her, “You say he just walked into your shop off the street?”  
                “Yeah.”  
                “Well, how did he know about the shop? And how did he know business is doing badly?”  
                “Well my shop was pretty empty.”  
                “It could have just been a slow time.”  
                “I guess.”  
                “Well, I’m not so sure about him but, I know this shop is important to you, and I want you to be happy. So, I say call him and see what he has to say.”  
                “Okay. I think I will. Who knows? This could be just what my shop needs and we can use the extra money on the honeymoon.”  
                John looked lovingly at his fiancé.  
                “That sounds perfect,” he told her, kissing her soundly, “Just…promise me you’ll be careful?”  
                “Of course.”  
                “Great. Now, are you ready for dinner?”  
                “Absolutely,” she replied, following John into the kitchen where he had heaping plates of spaghetti waiting on the table.


	11. The Third Murder

A few days later, Sherlock and Melody woke up in a tangle of limbs. Melody sighed as she felt Sherlock move his lips to her neck, his favorite place to kiss on her. She was just rolling over, intending on giving them both a good morning, when Sherlock’s phone went off. Reaching over to the desk, he picked up his mobile and looked at the screen.  
“It’s Lestrade,” he told Melody, sitting up to answer it.  
Only a few seconds later, Sherlock and Melody were hopping out of bed, getting dressed in a hurry and heading out the door; there had been a third murder.  
They climbed out of the cab about thirty minutes later, walking underneath the yellow police tape and going inside the fancy mansion Lestrade had directed them to. The DI met them just inside the door, leading them to the kitchen.  
“It’s murder. And definitely connected to the others,” he told Sherlock.  
The three of them went into the massive kitchen, instantly seeing the poor victim. She was a middle aged woman, wearing the clothing of a rich trophy wife. Judging from the butcher knife laying next to her, she had been stabbed several times, her blood spattered on the floor. Next to her, written with a gloved finger in blood were the words “She had it coming.” Sherlock and Melody looked over the scene, beginning to examine for clues.  
“Yes,” Sherlock said, analyzing the blood pattern, “Definitely murder. Even you lot couldn’t miss it. But what is this man’s game?”  
“Game?” Lestrade asked.  
“Yes. He’s becoming obvious for a reason. But what? He’s toying with me, trying to draw me in. We need to get to the bottom of this before more women die.”  
Sherlock signaled to Melody and the two of them left the crime scene, heading back to Baker Street to start pondering these murders. They worked for several hours until Melody needed to head over to her lab. She invited Sherlock to come but she could see he was completely engrossed in his research. Deciding she could live one day without his help, she went to her lab and worked on her experiments. Sherlock didn’t notice until many hours later that she was even gone.


	12. Late Again

“Darling, I’m at the restaurant. I just got us a table. Are you on your way?” John asked into his phone, disappointed that Jessie was late again; it had been happening a lot lately.  
                “Oh dear, I’m so sorry. I thought I told you. I can’t make dinner tonight; I have a meeting with Mr. Martin,” she replied apologetically.  
                “Another meeting?”  
                “Yes dear. There are a lot of things to sort out with the shop. I’m sorry you didn’t know. I really thought I told you. Forgive me?”  
                “Of course. Well, I’ll just see you when you get home then.”  
                “Alright. Love you.”  
                “Love you too,” John replied, almost begrudgingly, as he hung up the phone.  
                Deciding he might as well eat since he was there, he ordered some food and sat back in his chair. He knew that he should be happy for his fiancée. This investor was helping her shop and that was very important to her. But she was spending more and more time with this stranger and canceling many plans with him. Honestly, he felt he never saw her anymore.  
                As he waited for his meal, his mind wandered to the topic he had been pushing away for weeks now. What if she was cheating on him? Only a few months ago, he never would have suspected her in a million years. She just wasn’t the cheating type. But the more time she spent with Mr. Martin and the less she wanted to talk about wedding plans, it seemed more likely something was going on. In the past, John was the most trusting man alive. But, as is the case with many men, several cheating girlfriends had left him bitter and mistrusting. But Jessie was different. At least, she seemed different. John didn’t want to consider the possibility that she was cheating on him. But the less he saw her, the more he wondered. And Sherlock was no help at the moment. While he occasionally asked for help on his current case, he seemed to turn to Melody more often now. It was ironic, in a way, that John was the one needing Sherlock more now that Sherlock actually had a girl.  
                His food arrived and as John began eating, he resolved to push the cheating idea out of his mind. Just because people had hurt him in the past, didn’t mean Jessie would turn out the same way. She was the most wonderful thing to happen in his life and he really needed to learn to trust more. Most likely, Jessie was just excited about saving her shop and was willing to spend the time needed to do that.  
                His fears pushed away, John made his way back to their flat, excited to see his wonderful fiancé. But she wasn’t home. In fact, she didn’t get home until nearly midnight. As she crawled into bed next to where John was already half asleep, every fear of the evening came rushing back. Surely business dinners didn’t last this long, did they?


	13. An Apology

  The next morning, John woke up to Jessie slowly kissing down his chest, making her way beneath the covers. Suddenly quite awake, he briefly lifted her head so he could look at her.  
                “What are you doing?”  
                “Saying good morning. And trying to make up for last night.”  
                Jessie slid back up John’s body, kissing him soundly before continuing,  
                “I really am sorry about last night. The meeting ran late and I had a hard time getting a cab. I’m sorry. I will make it up to you. Dinner tonight. No exceptions.”  
                “I’ll take that deal.”  
                “I love you.”  
                “I love you too.”  
                With a flirtatious smile, Jessie began making her way back down his body, her head vanishing beneath the covers once again. When he was close to losing it, he brought her back up to him, kissing her passionately as he rolled them over. And John made love to his fiancé for a majority of the morning, finally getting out of bed to make breakfast as she took a hot shower.


	14. The First Fight

A week later, Sherlock was up early, sitting in his sheet as he pondered over the murder case. His hands were pressed together beneath his chin as he stared straight ahead, thinking. Moments later, Melody came whisking out of the bedroom, dressed in her usual work attire. She grabbed her purse and was almost out the door when Sherlock stopped her.  
                “Where are you going?” he inquired, coming out of his trance.  
                “To the lab. I need to work on my antibiotic.”  
                “No, I need you here today to help with the case.”  
                “Sherlock, I have to go to work. I am in a critical stage with these experiments and I will only be spending more time there from now on. It’s important and you know it.”  
                Her boyfriend glared at her, opening his mouth to protest further but she cut him off.  
                “No, I’m not arguing with you about this now. I need to get to the hospital; I should have been there an hour ago.”  
                Without another word, she hurried out the door and down the stairs. Sherlock, still angry, settled back in his chair and continued pondering the case.  
                Later that evening, Melody came home, looking exhausted and a bit stressed. She walked into the flat and discovered Sherlock still sitting in the same place she had left him that morning.  
                “Are you still mad?” she asked, going over to sit on his lap.  
                “Yes,” was his curt reply.  
                “Well, you’re just going to have to move past it. You know my work is as important to me as yours is to you. However, I do understand that I promised to help and I decided today that I will hire a lab assistant. I will still need to be involved in the experiment but having an assistant should clear up some time for me to be home helping you with the case. Deal?”  
                Sherlock looked at her for a moment, pondering.              
                “Fine,” he finally agreed.  
                “Good,” she replied, knowing that was the most she would get out of him, “now, you have been in this seat all day. I know you are thinking about the case but maybe it would help to get your mind off it for awhile.”  
                Melody leaned down and began kissing slowly up his neck, knowing how much it drove him crazy. As much as he tried to resist, he was soon groaning softly as she slid her hand down to stroke him lightly through the sheet. She bit down on his neck, causing the moan to turn into a growl as he gripped her hair and brought her mouth up to his, kissing her hungrily as he stood from the chair and carried her into the bedroom. Without hesitation, he removed her clothes in a hurry, pushing her down on the bed and pinning her to the mattress. And over the next several hours, all the tension and stress both of them had been feeling was released through loud cries, curses, and gasping.


	15. The Fourth Murder

    It was only a few days later when Sherlock received another call from Lestrade; there had been a fourth murder. Melody and Sherlock rushed to the scene where a woman lay in front of a delivery truck. In pebbles next to her head was written the familiar message “She had it coming”.  
                “Whoever this is, he’s very calculated,” Lestrade observed, “this had to take time.”  
                “Is there any lead with the truck?” Sherlock asked, “Any record of where it came from?”  
                “We called the delivery company but the driver of this truck reported it stolen three days ago.”  
                Melody stooped over body, examining the wounds and contusions on the woman. Looking pensive, she stood up and addressed Sherlock and Lestrade.  
                “This woman wasn’t killed by this truck.”  
                “What do you mean?” Lestrade asked.  
                “I mean, this is a staged death. These “wounds” were made after she was dead and the murderer simply let gravity leak the blood out before he placed it here; there isn’t nearly enough blood if she had actually been wounded in the head. Most likely, this woman was poisoned beforehand then strategically placed here.”  
                Greg and Sherlock just stared at her for a moment; Sherlock was beaming.  
                “But why the truck then?” Lestrade asked, still confused.  
                “That,” Melody replied, her eyes lighting up, “is the key to all of this. Clearly, we are meant to pay close attention to the truck. And, in fact, I believe the method of murder for each victim is key to solving this case.”  
                A huge smile crossed Lestrade’s face as he looked at Melody.  
                “Remarkable,” he said.  
                Sherlock walked over to Melody and gave her a passionate kiss, even going as far as briefly dipping his tongue into her mouth. He finally released her lips and smiled at his girlfriend,  
                “You are brilliant,” he told her, kissing her again.  
                “Well that was the weirdest thing I’ve ever witnessed,” Greg said, deciding to return to the car to make some notes about the crime scene rather than witness Sherlock’s public displays of affection.  
                After taking some more notes, Sherlock and Melody headed back to Baker Street. Once there, they began laying out the facts they had, comparing murder methods and victims. They determined that there was no actual connection between the victims themselves and no similarities in the methods of murder.  
                “So the connection must somehow be solely between the victim and the method,” Sherlock observed.  
                “Yes, plus we have that repetitive phrase to deal with as well.”  
                “Clearly revenge is the motive. But revenge for what. What crime do all these women have in common?”  
                For hours, they pondered over the evidence, trying to find a connection or anything that might lead them closer to the killer. Four women were dead and they could not let that number escalate. Eventually, Melody was tired and went to bed, leaving Sherlock to ponder. But, still turned on by her deductions from earlier and working with her on the case all afternoon, Sherlock could no longer focus and went into the bedroom to join her. After they had made love for several hours, Sherlock left his girlfriend sleeping soundly in bed as he returned to the living room to think about the case.


	16. Too Many Distractions

  A few days later, Melody was in her lab, checking over her experiments. Her new assistant, James, was in the corner making some notes in a notebook. Hiring James had definitely been a good decision and had given her more free time to spend with Sherlock. She had been hesitant at first to let anyone tamper with the experiments but his brown eyes seemed so trustworthy and he provided very convincing arguments in that lilting accent of his. In the end, she was happy she hired him.  
                She was also happy with the progress being made in the experiments; her anti-biotic would be ready in no time. But as she looked over one of the trials, she realized something was off. She checked her notes and checked the data again, hoping she had just read something wrong. But, unfortunately, no, her experiments were definitely wrong.  
                “How did this happen?” she said out loud, trying not to sound accusatory.  
                James walked over to her, looking over her shoulder, his proximity to her closer than what would be considered professional.  
                “These measurements and dosages are all wrong. What happened?”  
                “I’m not sure,” he told her, his voice sending chills down her spine for some reason; there was something mysterious about this man.  
                “I am so close to finishing this stage! How could this happen?”  
                “Everything seemed fine when I checked it. Are you sure it wasn’t something you missed? I mean, you have been awfully distracted lately…with that boyfriend of yours…and that murder case you’re working on…”  
                “Did I tell you about the case?” Melody asked, almost certain she had never mentioned it.  
                “Of course. See, you are more out of it than you think. Perhaps this boy of yours is getting in the way. Your attention should be here, with your work. And it really is rather selfish of him to expect you to spend this much time with him, helping him with his job when you have a passion of your own.”  
                James’s hand briefly brushed over her hip bone as he returned to his side of the lab, a smirk on his face that went unnoticed by Melody.  
Frustration crossed her face as Melody continued looking at her data and at the trials. Perhaps she had made a mistake. Admittedly, she had been spending more time at home with Sherlock than at the lab lately. James was right; she needed to cut back. As much as she wanted to help her boyfriend with the case, her anti-biotic came first. And he knew that. He had to understand. As she went about trying to make up for the mistakes in her experiment, she vowed she would have a chat with Sherlock about cutting back on her time with him. She knew he wouldn’t be happy but hopefully, within a few days, that anger would fade away and he would understand how important this was to her. It was something she had worked for all her life. And, as much as she loved Sherlock, she couldn’t let him stand in the way of it.


	17. The Big Fight

That same day, John sat at the kitchen table, looking over some details for the wedding. Why he was the one doing this was beyond him. Isn’t the bride supposed to be the one doing all this? Jessie emerged from the bedroom and went into the kitchen to grab a cup of coffee.  
                “Dear,” John began, “come over here and help me decide on a DJ for the wedding. And perhaps later, we can figure out the cake and maybe talk about the honeymoon?”  
                “Oh, darling, I would love to but I have to head over to the bakery. James and I have a meeting to go over some marketing strategies.”  
                “Oh, he’s James now, is he?” John replied, rather angrily.  
                “Well, yes, that is his name,” Jessie replied, confused to this sudden outburst from her fiancé.  
                “Well maybe you should just be planning this wedding with him them.”  
                “John, what is wrong with you?”  
                “Nothing. Nothing. It’s just…it seems like lately this James sees far more of you than I do. Are you even interested in getting married anymore?”  
                “Of course I am! How could you even say something like that?”  
                “Well, lately it seems your interests have been elsewhere. I feel like I am the only one looking forward to this wedding. You never want to talk about it, you keep taking money from it for the bakery. Not to mention, all these late night meetings with this investor of yours. What exactly are you doing at these meetings?”  
                “What do you mean?”  
                “Well it just seems awfully late for a business meeting.”  
                “Are you accusing me of cheating?”  
                “I don’t know! I don’t know what to think anymore.”  
                “John Watson, if you think I’m cheating, then you know nothing about me.”  
                “Well maybe I don’t. Maybe we were wrong about this whole thing!”  
                Jessie was speechless for a few moments, letting what he just said sink in. Tears started coming to her eyes.  
                “John,” she said, her voice wavering, “what are you saying? Are you saying you want to break up?”  
                “Maybe. I don’t know. I just…I think I need some time.”  
                John stood from the table and went into the bedroom. Jessie just stood in the kitchen, her coffee growing cold as she tried to figure out what had just happened. Tears were flowing down her face as she stood there. A few minutes later, John emerged from the bedroom, a packed bag in hand.  
                “John,” Jessie said with desperation, “what are you doing? Where are going?”  
                “I’m going to stay with Sherlock. I need some time to think through some things.”  
                “John…please don’t leave. Are you really saying you want to break up with me?”  
                John paused at the door, looking back at his crying fiancé. For a moment, his resolve wavered and all he wanted to do was take her in his arms and comfort her, dry her tears, make love to her until all their doubts were cleared up. But the image of her and the investor popped, unbidden, into his head and the anger returned.  
                “I don’t know yet, Jessie.”  
                With that, he walked out the door, closing it loudly behind him. Jessie didn’t know how long she stood staring at the closed door, looking at the space where John had been standing. But as what had just happened sunk in, she dissolved into tears, her heart broken in a way she had never known. She sent a quick text to James, letting him know she would not be making their meeting because she wasn’t feeling well. She then poured out her coffee, replacing it with whiskey, and spent the remainder of the day drowning her sorrows and searching for a way to get John back.


	18. The Break Up

   That night, Melody sat on the bed in Sherlock’s room, pouring over her notes in an attempt to figure out a way to fix the major mistake she had made. She would be in her room but John was staying there for the night; he and Jessie had a big fight. Honestly, she felt bad for them. Jessie was a good friend of hers and they were such a great couple; it would be a shame if they broke up. But she had bigger things to worry about at the moment.  
                She was typing something on her laptop with Sherlock suddenly entered the room. He crossed to where she was and closed her computer.  
                “Hey!” Melody protested, annoyed at his interruption.  
                “I need your help out here. I think I may have something on the case but it requires a bit more research and a second set of eyes will help me.”  
                “I can’t right now Sherlock. I need to figure out how to fix this problem.”  
                “Let your assistant do it. Isn’t that why you hired him?”  
                “I hired him to help with the little things. But this is still my work and my experiments. I need to spend time with them.”  
                “Well, not right now. I need your help.”  
                “Sherlock!” she exclaimed, rubbing her temples in frustration, “This actually is a great transition into what I needed to talk to you about.”  
                “Talk to me about?”  
                “Yes. Sherlock, you know I want to help you on your cases but my work at the lab has been slipping and I need to spend more time there. So, I won’t be around as much. I can’t just drop my work to help you at a moment’s notice. And I need to be at St. Bart’s more.”  
                “But my work is more important.”  
                Melody got off the bed to face him, trying to keep her growing anger in check.  
                “No, Sherlock, it’s not. It’s more important to you. But my work is more important to me.”  
                “My work saves lives,” he said calmly, almost off-handedly.  
                “So does mine!” Melody yelled, finally letting her anger explode.  
                “It might.”  
                Melody took a deep breath before launching into what she knew she needed to tell her oh-so-sensitive boyfriend.  
                “Sherlock, when we first started dating, you were very aware of the fact that my work always came first. It was something you accepted about me just as I accepted it about you. Now, maybe you didn’t really consider the ramifications of what that meant but let me make this perfectly clear. I have been working most of my life on this anti-biotic. It is of the highest importance to me and, as much as you may hate it, I will be putting it above you in my life. Now, if you can’t accept that, then…well maybe we shouldn’t see each other anymore.”  
                “Perhaps you’re right.”  
                “Right about putting my work above you?”           
                “No, right about us not seeing each other anymore. We both have work to do and it seems this relationship has become a distraction to that.”  
                “So you’re saying that you want to break up?” Melody asked, not actually thinking he would go with that option.  
                “Yes, I suppose so.”  
                “Fine!” Melody fumed, grabbing her work and storming out of the room.  
                She went upstairs, packed a small bag, and headed for the front door. Sherlock followed her, a slightly confused look on his face.  
                “Where are you going?”  
                “Well I’m not staying here! We broke up.”  
                “Fine,” Sherlock said, returning to the kitchen and sitting back down to his research.  
                Melody opened her mouth to say something but decided against it, knowing it wouldn’t do any good. She checked that she had the important things she needed and headed down the stairs. As she was leaving, John came down from her room.  
                “What was that all about?” he asked Sherlock, “Where is Melody going?”  
                “Don’t know. We broke up.”  
                “Broke up? I’m so sorry.”  
                “What for?”  
                “You don’t care that you broke up?”  
                “Not really.”  
                John looked at Sherlock, who seemed intent on studying his book. He didn’t believe his friend for a second but he knew Sherlock would never let on that he cared. Nonetheless, he was prepared to be there for him when the violin music began.


	19. The Possibly Bad Decision

The next morning, James arrived early at the lab to do some work. He was just about to go inside when he noticed a figure sleeping on the bench outside; it was Melody. Walking over to her, he gently shook her awake saying,   
“Melody, pet, why are you sleeping here? You didn’t have a fight with that darling boyfriend of yours, did you?”  
Sitting up, Melody stretched and slowly woke up, taking a moment to remember where she was before replying,   
“Actually, I did. We broke up, in fact.”  
“Didn’t take the idea of you working more very well, did he?”  
“No. And he wasn’t exactly torn up over us splitting.”  
Melody got off the bench and followed James into the lab. They began setting up for the day in silence before her assistant finally spoke up again.  
“Well, I don’t want to be too forward but you’re more than welcome to stay with me for awhile. Until you find a place or something. Can’t have you sleeping on a bench every night, can we?”  
“Thank you James. That’s very generous you. And yes, I think I’ll take you up on that offer.”  
“Marvelous. Then after work, you can come over. We’ll order some dinner, drink, and forget all about that selfish boyfriend of yours.”  
Melody agreed, smiling at what a great assistant she had. The day moved quickly and before long, the two of them were heading over to his flat. He let her into the small place. It was simple with minimal furniture. The walls were eerily devoid of decoration.   
“Make yourself comfortable,” James crooned from the kitchen.  
Melody set down her few belongings and settled on the couch while he ordered some food and poured scotch into two glasses.   
“Here,” he told her, handing her one of the glasses of potent liquid, “this will help.”  
The two of them sat sipping scotch until the food arrived. They continued chatting pleasantly while they ate before pouring a second glass of scotch. And a third. Then a fourth. Soon, both of them were quite drunk and started becoming rather close on the couch.  
“I, um, think I should stop,” Melody said, setting down her empty glass.  
“Probably a good idea, really,” James agreed, setting his glass next to hers.  
Melody leaned back and found James’s arm resting on the back of the couch, behind her head. As she sat back, his arm moved to around her shoulders, his long fingers slowly tracing up and down her arm.  
“James, I don’t know if I’m ready for this,” she told him, but making no attempt to move away from him.  
“Why not? It is the quickest way to get over someone. And what’s the harm, really? A night of unattached fun?”  
He leaned in and Melody could feel his breath on her neck. Soon, his lips began trailing up her skin, slowly making a path to her lips. Melody considered the ramifications of what she was about to do. But the scotch had dulled her judgement. And besides, James was incredibly attractive with his dazzling brown eyes and lilting accent. What could one night hurt? And it wasn’t like Sherlock cared anyway. Giving in to what was possibly a bad idea, Melody turned her face and James’s lips met hers in a heated kiss.


	20. The Drunk Hook Up

James continued kissing Melody eagerly as they stood from the couch and made their way into the bedroom. For a moment, she considered stopping it, her mind telling her it wasn’t wise to sleep with her lab assistant. But as his hand groped at her chest and his tongue licked across her lips, all rational thought left her mind. As they approached the bed, he ripped her shirt open, kissing down her neck, biting and sucking at the skin, leaving red marks behind. Melody moaned as James quickly stripped her of her trousers as well and pushed her on the bed. While she obviously enjoyed her times with Sherlock, James was passionate in a way she had never experienced. He stripped off his own clothes and joined her on the bed. After divesting her of her bra, he began sucking and licking at her chest, working his way down her body. He reached her knickers and gazed up at her as his teeth grabbed the lace at the edge. With a wicked smirk, he pulled them down her legs and tossed them aside.   
“I need to grab something,” he then told her, sliding off the bed and going to a dresser that was across the room.  
Moments later, he returned with metal handcuffs dangling from his fingers. He simply raised an eyebrow at her, asking for her permission. In the back of her mind, Melody knew this was a bad idea, especially since it had only been a day since she and Sherlock broke up, but everything else in her body wanted him more than anything else. With a nod, she agreed and he walked over to the head of the bed, grabbed her hands, and cuffed them to the bed. Satisfied, he crawled back on the bed, laying his body on top of her and pressing his weight down on her. His mouth found hers again, his hand moving up to her chin, gripping it as she opened her mouth to admit his tongue. Passionately, he kissed her, his hand slipping between her thighs, his fingers teasing her and finding her ready for him. In one motion, he entered her, setting a rapid pace as they both moaned in unison. Melody strained against the handcuffs, wanting to touch him as he moved roughly inside her. His hands explored every inch of her skin as he continued kissing her, nipping at her lip with an evil grin on his face.   
It wasn’t long before they were both falling over the edge of pleasure, screaming the name of the other loudly as they finished together. James collapsed on top of her, breathing hard. No words were said for quite awhile and he made no move to undo the handcuffs. After several minutes, James raised his head to look at her.  
“Are you ready for round two, pet?” he asked in his sexy Irish lilt.  
Melody nodded, still unable to quite process what was going on. James undid the handcuffs and helped her off the bed, leading her into the bathroom. After another torrid round in the shower, they were back in the bedroom again, going one more round before collapsing in exhaustion next to each other and falling fast asleep.


	21. A Discovery Is Made

A couple days later, John made his way over to the bakery. He was still a bit upset but he missed Jessie like crazy and wanted a chance to talk things over with her. He hoped they could work things out. Over the last few days, he had done a lot of thinking and had come to the conclusion that he still definitely wanted to marry her. He felt silly for thinking she was cheating. It really wasn’t in her nature. And the bakery really was important to her. Her time spent with James was solely about the business and he knew that. He needed to just be patient and let her do her thing with the bakery while they planned the wedding. He just hoped he wasn’t too late to tell her that.  
He approached the bakery, about to cross the street to it, when the door opened and someone came out. John did a double take. That couldn’t be who he thought it was. Leaving the shop was a man who looked exactly like Jim Moriarty. But that couldn’t be true. Moriarty died on the top of St. Bart’s the same day as Sherlock; he shot himself in the head. And yet, walking down the street, was a man who had to be the infamous consulting criminal. Suddenly, talking to Jessie was not as important. He needed to follow this man and figure out exactly what he was up to. He hailed a cab and directed the driver to follow Moriarty.  
John followed Moriarty all the way to a small building downtown. He assumed this was where he lived as he watched him park his car in a designated spot and make his way inside. Quietly, John followed behind the man, trying to figure out exactly which one was his flat so he could come back later. But he didn’t even make it in the building. As he was about to go through the door, someone he recognized came out; Melody. John quickly ducked behind some bushes as he watched Melody walk down the steps only to be stopped by Moriarty, who had come back outside. John watched in horror as Jim kissed her, putting obviously far more tongue than was necessary into it. After that, they parted ways. Melody made her way down the street, obviously headed to the hospital while Moriarty headed inside.  
Not wasting a minute, John left his hiding place and made his way back to Baker Street. He needed to talk to Sherlock right away. It all made sense now that Moriarty was behind this. From Jessie’s mentions of him, he was probably her mysterious investor. And, given that he just saw Melody leaving his building, he would bet anything he was her new lab assistant as well. Briefly he wondered if this also had something to do with the case Sherlock was working on but he decided to leave that thought up to his best friend. All he knew was that he needed to get back and talk with him. If Moriarty was involved, both of their girls were definitely in danger.


	22. The Obvious Solution

John hurried as fast as he could back to Baker Street. His heart was racing and his only thoughts were for Jessie and Melody’s safety, especially Melody’s since it appeared she was living with the psychopath. When he arrived, he found Sherlock calmly changing into his clothes. Sherlock looked at John in confusion as he raced into the flat.  
“What’s the matter?” he asked.  
“It’s Moriarty. Jessie’s investor. Melody’s lab assistant. And probably your serial killer. It’s Moriarty behind it all.”  
“Yes, I know.”  
“You know?!” John exclaimed, trying his best to suppress the urge to punch his best friend.  
“Yes.”  
“How could you possibly know? How long have you known? I only now came from Moriarty’s flat and saw Melody leaving.”  
“Well, it’s the only logical conclusion. The murders were far too perfect at first to simply fall into the slapdash work they became so it was clearly Moriarty sending me a message. Although he was definitely just the hired hand for other people, as he usually is, most likely jilted husbands whose wives had cheated on them thus the message She had it coming at every crime scene and the lack of spouses for each victim. This information coupled with the descriptions of both Melody’s lab assistant and Jessie’s investor and the timing of their mutual arrivals meant it could really only be Moriarty. And if that wasn’t enough there is always this video he sent me.”  
John watched as Sherlock pressed play on a video in an email and watched in horror as Moriarty turned on a camera and returned to bed with a very naked and now handcuffed Melody.  
“Okay...okay...I’ve seen enough,” John told Sherlock, turning his head from the video, “Did he really send you a sex tape?”  
“It would appear so. I believe his dealings with us are merely a link to the case and seeing if our women would cheat on us.”  
“So, we know it’s Moriarty. Aren’t you going to go after him? I mean, aside from those murders, doesn’t it bother you that he slept with your ex-girlfriend.”  
“Yes, and that is what I was doing before you rushed in here in a panic.”  
Sherlock continued getting ready, slipping on his gloves and coat, ignoring the small smile on John’s face over Sherlock’s confession at seeing Melody with another man bothered him. John also grabbed his coat and followed him out the door.  
“Wait,” John said as they hailed a cab, “about the case...is cheating the only connection between these women?”  
“Yes, it would seem so. Although each did appear to be murdered in a fashion related to the profession of the person they were cheating with. But I did manage to get Lestrade on the trail of the husbands who ordered the murders. Really, John, what have you been doing?”  
John just shook his head as the two of them jumped in a cab and headed off to where they knew Moriarty would be: Melody’s lab.


	23. An Unexpected Apology

When they arrived at the lab, they found Melody alone, slamming around equipment and mumbling to herself. She turned around and saw John and Sherlock standing in the door.  
“What do you want?” she huffed angrily “I’m very busy.”  
“Where is Jim?” Sherlock asked, ignoring her anger.  
“He quit. Just out of the blue. Walked out and left me with a billion things to do. And also no place to live!”  
“Yes, I can’t imagine he would stick around. He accomplished his goals which apparently included having sex with you. Although I was hoping to catch him before he made his big escape.”  
Melody turned, rage splashed across her face.  
“First of all, you have no right to say anything considering we are broken up. Second, how did you know I slept with him? Oh let me guess...you deduced it by my clothes or something?” she asked sarcastically.  
“No, he sent me the tape.”  
“He recorded it?!”  
“It would seem so. But Jim is not all he seems. He merely used you as a means of getting to me.”  
“What do you mean?”  
Sherlock launched into an explanation of who Jim really was, his involvement with both Jessie and the murders, and his plan to get the girls to cheat. As he spoke, Melody was embarrassed she didn’t pick up on most of this sooner.  
“And while you didn’t cheat, I will admit it bothered me to see you with someone else. In our time together, I have come to develop stronger feelings for you than I realized. And, if you will still have me, I would like to go back to being your boyfriend,” Sherlock concluded.  
“Will you be more understanding about my work?”  
“Yes, I will not demand that you constantly help with my work although I would appreciate it if you did help on occasion. Is this acceptable?”  
Melody looked at Sherlock for a moment, knowing she wouldn’t get a better apology from him. Just his admitting that he was wrong before was huge for him and she knew that. And honestly, she missed him greatly. They had been broken up for only a few days but it had felt horrible. She cared greatly for Sherlock and she knew he cared for her as well, even if he didn’t always make it obvious.  
“Okay,” she finally agreed, “Now, I really do have a ton to do but I will see you back at the flat later tonight.”  
“Let me stay and help,” Sherlock volunteered.  
“I’d like that.”  
“Well, I think I’m going to the bakery to find Jessie. We have a lot to talk about,” John interjected as he headed for the door.  
Once he was gone, Sherlock slid his fingers into Melody’s hair, pulling her lips up to his. It was an unusual display of passion for him and the kiss he gave her knocked the breath right out of her. Head spinning as she recovered from the kiss, Melody got back to work with Sherlock lending a hand right by her side.


	24. Everything's Okay

John made his way over to the bakery, not entirely sure what Jessie’s reaction to him would be. The image of her crying in the kitchen crept into his head and he felt his heart break in two. How could he do something like this to her? Deep down, he knew she wasn’t cheating but his jealousy had gotten in the way. But hopefully it wasn’t too late to win her back.   
John pushed open the door of the bakery, the little bell tinkling overhead. Jessie was behind the counter, arranging some fresh baked cookies in the case. At the sound of the door, she looked up.  
“Hi,” she said quietly, returning to her work.  
“Hello,” John said, searching for words.  
It was silent for several awkward seconds until John finally spoke up again.  
“Jessie, I just wanted to apologize for what I said. It was wrong of me to just walk out. And I know you weren’t cheating. I just let my jealously get the best of me and it caused me to do irrational things. I can’t stand the thought of losing you.”  
Jessie finally looked up from her work and came around the counter. She walked over to John but still kept some distance between them.  
“I’m sorry too,” she apologized.  
“What are you apologizing for?” John asked, genuinely confused.  
“For letting the bakery become such an obsession. And for spending so much time with that investor. You had every right to be angry.”  
“Perhaps. But I handled it all wrong. However, I do need to tell you something about that investor. He is not who he seems.”  
John launched into the tale about Moriarty as Jessie brewed some tea and they sat down at a table, just like they used to do when they first got together. When John came to the end of the story, he reached his hand across the table and intertwined his fingers with Jessie’s, grateful that she didn’t pull away.  
“I promise we will find another way to help the bakery. But please, just promise me you won’t work with Jim anymore.”  
“I actually cut ties with him already.”  
“You did?”  
“Yes, the day you left actually. John, I do love this bakery but I never want it to come between us. You are the most important thing in my life and I would sacrifice anything to keep you in it.”  
John brought his hand to her lips, kissing the back of it sweetly.  
“Also,” Jessie continued, “I found out afterwards that he was using the money I was giving him to give my bakery all kinds of bad reviews and such. He was the reason behind my business dwindling in the first place.”  
“That sounds about right.”  
There was more silence as John and Jessie looked at each other, unsure of where to go next. Finally, John spoke up.  
“So, I guess the question I really want to ask is...do you still want to get married? Because I do. I do more than anything in the world. But I would understand if your feelings have changed on that matter.”  
Jessie just smiled, standing up from the table.  
“I have something to show you,” she said, going into the back room.  
She emerged moments later with the huge wedding planning book in her hands.  
“I couldn’t accept that you didn’t actually want to get married. So I kept planning.”  
A huge smile crossed John’s face as she pulled a chair up next to his, opening the book and showing him all the work she had done. As she was explaining some cake options, John suddenly stopped her speech, leaning over and kissing her with all the love in his heart. She returned the kiss, her hands resting on his shoulders. For several minutes, they sat exchanging kisses before they finally broke apart and Jessie continued her explanation of the wedding plans.


	25. The Proper Way To Make Up

Later that night, John and Jessie made their way back to their flat; it was decided that John would just grab his stuff from Sherlock’s tomorrow. John wanted to get Jessie back to their place as soon as he could. Not to mention, he wasn’t sure he wanted to find out how Sherlock and Melody were spending their evening back together. The moment they got through the door, John did something he had been thinking about doing all day. Without hesitation, he pressed Jessie into the wall, kissing her passionately, his hands already roaming her body. Jessie returned the kiss, her fingers sliding up his chest and into his hair as she wrapped her legs around his waist. He kissed her over to the bedroom, beginning to discard her clothes along the way. When they got to the room, John finally released her lips and began kissing down her neck. After taking a moment to breathe, Jessie finally asked,  
“John, what has gotten into you? Not that I’m complaining, mind you. You’re just not usually quite this passionate.”  
“I need you. Right now.”  
“You act like we haven’t slept together in ages.”  
“We haven’t.”  
Jessie thought about it for a second and realized he was right. That knowledge, combined with the sensation of John’s lips on her neck while he removed the last of her clothes, ignited a fire in her as well and soon she was clutching at his shirt and trousers, removing them as quickly as she could.  
Before long, they were both completely undressed and tumbled into bed together. John began kissing his way down her entire body, pausing to nibble and suck at her chest before continuing down her stomach to her hips and down to her thighs. Despite his desperate need for her, he took his time teasing her, running his tongue up to where she most wanted him before moving to the other side.  
“John...please...”Jessie begged, grabbing his hair to direct his mouth where she wanted it.  
Relinquishing, John parted her legs further and used his tongue on her until she was screaming his name twice.  
As she was coming down from her high, John slid back up her body, kissing her hungrily. She surprised him by suddenly rolling them over and straddling him. With a wicked smirk, she ground her hips against him, causing him to groan as he slid his hands up her thighs. After teasing him as much as he had teased her, Jessie lifted her hips and sank down on him, drawing a moan from both of them. Their desire for each other caused her to set a rapid pace and they were soon both falling over the edge.  
Panting, Jessie rolled off him, settling into his side as he ran his fingers through her hair.  
“I love you,” he murmured, pressing a kiss onto the top of her head.  
“I love you too,” she whispered back, sighing happily as she settled on his chest.  
In mere moments, they were both fast asleep.

. . .

When Melody and Sherlock got home, his mouth immediately found hers and he began leading her straight to the bedroom. Already desperate for each other, they began removing each other’s clothes, still kissing. The moment they were both naked, Sherlock released her lips and stepped away from her.  
“Lay on the bed,” he said authoritatively.  
“Okay...” Melody replied, a bit confused as she did what he said.  
“Now, while the sex tape I saw was unfortunate, it did give me some ideas.”  
Sherlock went over to his dresser, grabbing a pair of handcuffs and bringing them back to the bed. He leaned over and locked his girlfriend’s wrists to the headboard. As he was pulling away, he whispered in her ear,  
“I promise that your night with Moriarty will be only a faint memory after I am done with you tonight.”  
Shivers went down her spine as Melody watched Sherlock return to the dresser. He returned moments later with a riding crop in his hand and her eyes opened wide and heat rushed through her.  
Sherlock stalked around the bed, eyeing her hungrily with a lustful smirk on his face. Taking the riding crop, he began running the smooth leather all over her body, taking his time to tease the most sensitive spots on her chest and between her thighs. When he had her worked up and panting for him, he parted her legs with the riding crop. He brought the riding crop down with a loud smack against her inner thigh.  
“Sherlock!” Melody cried out in a mixture of pleasure and pain as he brought it down again.  
Sherlock said nothing as he brought the riding crop down on her a few more times. Melody was desperate at this point, crying out,  
“Sherlock! Please! I beg you!”  
Finally giving into her pleas, Sherlock tossed the riding crop aside and lay down on top of her, capturing her mouth in a hungry, frenzied kiss. His tongue delved into her mouth and she groaned as his obvious excitement pressed against her thigh. As he continued to kiss her, Sherlock entered her slowly, drawing a moan from both of them. It didn’t take him long to set a punishing pace, bringing her quickly to her first wave of pleasure. As she was coming down from that high, Sherlock undid the handcuffs. He rolled her to her stomach, commanding her to grip the headboard as his hands found her hips and he took her from behind, quickly bringing both of them to completion.  
The next several hours were spent in a similar fashion as Sherlock demonstrated more passion towards Melody than he ever did before. Finally, the two of them collapsed beside each other, falling quickly into a deep sleep until the morning.


End file.
